Differentiation of avian pathogenic Escherichia coli (APEC) strains by random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis

Here we describe the application of a random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis for molecular genetic typing avian pathogenic Escherichia coli (APEC) strains. The RAPD technique was shown to be highly reproducible. Stable banding patterns with a high discriminatory capacity were obtained using two different primers. Overall, 55 E. coli strains were analyzed with a RAPD technique. The RAPD analysis showed that the E. coli strains isolated from poultry in Thailand and Sweden could be grouped into 50 of RAPD types by using these two different primer sets. Most of these different E. coli RAPD types were not geographically restricted. There was, as expected, a tendency of higher genetic relationship among E. coli strains isolated from the same farm. It is suggested that the RAPD technique may provide a rapid, low cost, simple and powerful tool to study the clonal epidemiology of avian E. coli infections.     

Genomic relatedness among Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae field strains of sterotypes 1 and 5 isolated from healthy and diseased pigs.

Forty-four Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae isolates recovered from both healthy and diseased pigs were characterized by random amplified polymorphic DNA analysis (RAPD), pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and apx toxin gene typing. Nine RAPD types and 14 PFGE patterns were identified. No common RAPD or PFGE patterns were found between strains of serotype 1 and those of serotype 5. The RAPD analysis indicated that the 15 serotype 1 strains isolated from diseased pigs were assigned to 4 RAPD types, with 66% of strains characterized by the same RAPD type. By contrast, the 5 strains of serotype 1 isolated from healthy carriers were dispersed in 4 RAPD types. These data suggest that the diversity of strains isolated from healthy pigs could be higher than that of strains recovered from diseased pigs. In addition, all serotype 5 strains exhibited a unique RAPD type. Unlike RAPD, PFGE analysis allowed discrimination among isolates of serotype 1 and among those of serotype 5. All but 3 isolates showed the same apx genotype as their respective serotype reference strain. These data indicate that RAPD analysis is a valuable rapid tool for routine subtyping of strains of serotype 1. For strains of serotype 5, a combination of several typing methods, such as PFGE and apx gene typing, is needed to provide useful information on the molecular epidemiology of swine pleuropneumonia.     

Comparison of Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) strains from pigs and humans in Sweden by random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) using standardized reagents

Infections with atypical mycobacteria belonging to the Mycobacterium avium/intracellulare complex (MAC) can cause infection in both animals and humans. Using a standardized reagents commercial kit for random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis, 49 MAC strains isolated from 32 slaughter pigs and 17 humans in Sweden were identified and sorted out, yielding 6 RAPD types. By combining the results of RAPD primers 4 and 5 and the primer IS1245A, we found that pigs and humans may be infected with the same types of MAC strains, since 14 strains from humans and 8 strains from pigs were essentially identical and together, comprised RAPD type 2, the largest group of strains (44.8% of strains). With respect to grouping of strains, serotype and RAPD type were uncorrelated, except for serotype 20 and RAPD type 6. Using standardized beads, RAPD analysis is a reproducible technique for typing MAC strains, as the indistinguishable banding patterns obtained with repeated analyses of two isolates from each strain in this study demonstrate. However, primer selection and DNA purity were crucial for differentiating closely related strains.     

产单核细胞李斯特菌的PFGE分子分型分析

对50株不同来源的产单核细胞李斯特菌（Lm）进行PFGE分型,比较食源、环境、人源菌株之间的相似性。结果显示,同一市场内,环境污水分离株和新鲜食品分离株表现出较高同源性,新鲜食品分离株与即食性（RTE）食品分离株相似性很高,临床脑膜炎病人的1株Lm与RTE食品分离株在进化上显示出了很近的亲缘关系。50株Lm的分子分型分析提示了菌株从市场环境污水-新鲜食品-RTE食品-人的传播模式,为食源性疾病溯源追踪提供了新的思路。     

Differentiation between high and low virulence Staphylococcus aureus strains from rabbits by randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis

Randomly Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD) typing was performed on 53 rabbit Staphylococcus aureus strains. Twenty-three strains isolated in 13 different rabbitries with chronic problems of staphylococcosis, showed the same RAPD banding pattern. Twenty of these strains belonged to the 'mixed CV-C' biotype and to the phage-type 3A/3C/55/71, previously described to be highly virulent in rabbits, and three strains belonged to other biotypes or phage-types. None of the strains isolated from rabbitries without chronic problems of staphylococcosis showed this specific RAPD pattern. RAPD analysis can be used as a rapid and reliable test method to differentiate between the characteristic genotype corresponding to high virulence and other S. aureus strains from rabbits. This is useful for the diagnosis and prevention of the introduction of these highly virulent strains in industrial rabbitries.     

应用随机扩增多态性进行山羊致病性大肠杆菌的分子多态性分析

为了解山羊致病性大肠杆菌广西分离株的分子多态性,应用随机扩增多态性方法(RAPD)对山羊致病性大肠杆菌进行分型研究.从8条随机引物中筛选出4条能在10株大肠杆菌中具有较好多态性扩增的随机引物,4条随机引物共扩增出18条DNA片段,10个菌株无共有带谱,显示出良好的扩增多态性.菌株Nx31与Nx32曾被认为是同一菌株的两次分离,但是在RAPD分析中,两株细菌的带谱存在明显的差别,表明RAPD比传统的血清学分型具有更高的分辨性.     

Virulence factors and genetic relatedness of Escherichia coli strains isolated from pigs with post-weaning diarrhea

Forty-six Escherichia coli strains isolated from post-weaning diarrhea of pigs were analysed for their phenotypic and genotypic properties. The isolates were of serogroups O138, O139, and O141 and most of them possessed hemolytic activities. PCR analysis showed that 34 of the isolates harboured the genes for shiga toxin 2e and 32 strains possessed the genes for heat-stable enterotoxins I and II. Ten strains had the fedA gene of F18 fimbriae. The genetic relationships among all isolates were tested by random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) and enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus (ERIC) PCR analyses. Using the RAPD test with two different primers, six fingerprints were distinguished whereas the ERIC analysis revealed only three DNA patterns. Some strains possessing identical phenotypic and genotypic virulence determinants exhibited distinct RAPD profiles and some isolates with different pathogenic markers showed the same RAPD and ERIC pictures. Thus, RAPD, and to a less extent ERIC techniques, revealed intra- and interserogroup genotypic variations among the E. coli strains analyzed.     

家蚕来源肠球菌DNA多态性的RAPD分析

运用随机扩增多态性DNA(randomamplifiedpolymorphicDNA,RAPD)技术,对从家蚕消化道中分离的表现为生理生化特性多样性的14个肠球菌分离菌株和3个标准菌株进行了DNA多态性研究。应用筛选的8条随机引物,共扩增出625个位点,其中997%为多态性位点,表明供试菌株具有丰富的DNA多态性。对扩增结果进行聚类分析,供试菌株分为Entfaecalis、Entfaecium、Entcasseliflavus、Entavium等4个类群,与其数值鉴定结果呈相同趋势。     

Comparison of Closely Related Orthopoxvirus Isolates by Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA and Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism Analysis

The reliability and reproducibility of random amplified polymorphic DNA analysis (RAPD) was compared with restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) by analysing three virus strains isolated from zoo animals in Berlin and three isolates which were cultivated from pets from Northern Germany. The RAPD technique was evaluated as a reliable tool with good reproducibility of the patterns for each virus strain investigated. Problems of interpretation due to inconsistent intensity of bands in different polymerase chain reaction runs may arise for less experienced personnel. The RAPD analysis can be performed within one working day and needs less DNA compared with RFLP so costs will be reduced. The obvious advantage of RFLP is that the pattern can be traced to the recognition site of the restriction enzyme whereas the RAPD primer sequence is not present in the orthopoxvirus genome at all. To the authors knowledge, the RAPD technique has never been applied in DNA viruses before and they conclude that this technique is a useful tool for the discrimination of closely related cowpoxviruses.     

Genetic diversity among Escherichia coli O149:K91 strains isolated from pigs with diarrhoea determined by randomly amplified polymorphic DNA analysis.

The genetic relatedness among 72 Escherichia coli strains of serotype O149:K91 isolated from pigs with diarrhoea was investigated by randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis. Fimbrial and toxic virulence markers of the isolates were also tested. Amplification with primer 1254 resulted in three different RAPD types whereas primer 1290 generated one RAPD profile only. Based on the RAPD and fimbrial/toxin types the strains were classified into five distinct groups.     

新疆不同来源单核细胞增生李斯特氏菌血清型的多重PCR鉴定

为鉴定分离自新疆北疆绵羊单核细胞增生李斯特氏菌,本研究采用多重PCR方法,鉴定来自病发地区部分羊场的发病绵羊、健康绵羊、羊舍环境和乌鸦粪分离的30株李斯特氏菌分离株的8株单核细胞增生李斯特氏菌分离株血清型。结果为4株发病绵羊株有3株鉴定为单核细胞增生李斯特氏菌,血清型为1/2a或4b,1株为非单核细胞增生李斯特氏菌;5株健康绵羊株血清型为1/2a;其余来自羊舍水源的3株、乌鸦粪的2株及健康绵羊16株为非单核细胞增生李斯特氏菌,表明来自发病绵羊、健康绵羊及参考菌株LM血清型之间具有相关性。     

Identification of Escherichia coli recovered from milk of sows with coliform mastitis by random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) using standardized reagents

A standardized-reagents commercial kit for random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis was used for typing 58 Escherichia coli strains that were recovered from the milk of sows, having coliform mastitis, within a single swineherd in Sweden. Previously, the 58 E. coli strains were characterized serologically and profiled biochemically. They were also evaluated for their serum resistance and their ability to adhere to fibronectin and bovine fetal fibroblasts. The RAPD analysis was fast, easily performed, and required only a nanogram of DNA. The indistinguishable banding patterns obtained with repeated analyses of 2 isolates from each strain demonstrated that RAPD analysis using standardized beads is a technique that provides reproducible results for typing E. coli strains that cause mastitis in sows. The results of the RAPD analyses demonstrated that E. coli sow mastitis strains are highly variable in serotype, biochemical profiles, virulence factors, and RAPD type, and that all 58 strains can be differentiated by means of the RAPD technique. The strains grouped into 24 RAPD types by combining the results of 2 primers, and into 38 groups by combining the results of serotype and RAPD type. No relationship between serotypes, virulence factors and RAPD types was found.     

Prevalence of Listeria monocytogenes in intestinal contents of healthy animals in Japan.

A total of 1,705 fecal specimens or ileo-cecal contents of cattle, pigs, dogs, cats, chicken and rats were submitted for the isolation of Listeria monocytogenes by the use of the combination of Oxford-LPM agar plates after the cold enrichment in PBS at 4 degrees C for 4-6 weeks. Prevalence of L. monocytogenes was found to be 1.9% in cattle, 0.6% in pigs, 0.9% in dogs and 6.5% in rats. However, none of L. monocytogenes was isolated from chicken or cats. Among 26 isolates of L. monocytogenes, 13 strains (50%) were classified into types 1/2a (3 strains), 1/2b (5 strains) and 4b (5 strains) and were often associated with human listeriosis. The majority of the Listeria spp. other than L. monocytogenes isolated from these animals was found to be L. innocua.     

淮南猪遗传特异性的RAPD分析

试验用150个10碱基随机引物对引入品种杜洛克猪、长白猪、大约克猪及河南地方品种淮南猪4个猪种基因组池DNA进行了RAPD分析。电泳检测结果发现,其中72个引物扩增出明显的多态性条带,共检测到911条扩增片段,其中多态性片段462条,占50.71%。统计分析结果表明,大约克猪与长白猪之间的遗传距离指数为0.0064,遗传关系最近;淮南猪与杜洛克猪、大约克猪遗传距离指数相近,分别为0.0068、0.0069,遗传关系较近;淮南猪与长白猪遗传距离指数为0.0072,遗传关系最远。结果显示,河南省地方品种淮南猪与其他引入品种之间有遗传的相似性,也存在差异,同时也证明了RAPD技术可以作为分子标记,很好地检测猪种群内的遗传变异及区分不同猪种的遗传检测方法。     

豫北地区猪源大肠杆菌耐药性及基因多态性分析

为了解豫北地区规模化养殖场猪源大肠杆菌的耐药性及基因多态性,对分离的21株猪源大肠杆菌进行药物敏感实验,采用PCR技术对其耐药基因进行检测,RAPD技术进行基因多态性分析。结果表明:豫北地区规模化养殖场分离的猪源性大肠杆菌菌株对常见16种抗生素存在不同情况的耐药性。其中对四环素、红霉素、麦迪霉素、阿莫西林、磺胺异恶唑、环丙沙星、新生霉素、复方新诺明、恩诺沙星、甲氧苄啶的耐药率均为100%,对庆大霉素、洛美沙星的耐药率为85%以上,对其他药物的耐药率相对较低;PCR检测得到8种耐药基因的条带;对菌株进行RAPD分析得到7种不同的基因型。大肠杆菌极易产生耐药性,耐药基因广泛存在于耐药菌株中,但耐药表型与耐药基因之间无绝对相关性。豫北地区猪源大肠杆菌感染多重耐药十分严重,严重影响了该地区猪源大肠杆菌病的诊治和预防。     

Isolation of Campylobacter species from zoo animals and polymerase chain reaction-based random amplified polymorphism DNA analysis

A total of 104 fecal specimens from 30 mammals, 12 birds, and 3 reptiles at the Phoenix Zoological Gardens, Miyazaki City, Japan, were examined for the presence of Campylobacter species. All the animals examined were healthy with no fecal abnormality. Twenty-three (22.1%) thermophilic campylobacters, (9 C. jejuni, 11 C. hyointestinalis, 2 C. coli, and 1 C. lari), were isolated from 11 animals (7 mammals and 4 birds). C. jejuni and C. hyointestinalis were the predominant species isolated from these zoo animals and C. hyointestinalis was isolated frequently from simians. As selective media influence the numbers and species of campylobacters isolated, the agar medium was not supplemented with cephalothin. Campylobacters were isolated most frequently when a combination of enrichment culture and selective agar plating was performed at 42 degrees C. For the epidemiological study, a polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) method was used as a tool to detect the heterogeneity of amplified DNAs of Campylobacter spp. isolated from zoo animals. The two arbitrary primers used in this study enabled even closely related strains of the same Campylobacter spp. to be differentiated. RAPD analysis revealed considerable diversity among the strains, suggesting that the transmission of Campylobacter spp. among animals in a defined area occurred through different mechanisms.Examination of the genotypic diversity among the multiple clones from the same host also revealed differences between clones. These results demonstrate that campylobacter populations in zoo animals are highly divergent.     

Molecular heterogeneity in clinical isolates of Malassezia pachydermatis from dogs

Molecular investigation of 16 strains, conventionally identified to be Malassezia pachydermatis, isolated from dogs in Japan was carried out by random amplification of polymorphic DNA (RAPD) and chitin synthase 2 (CHS2) gene sequence analyses. The RAPD band patterns of 13 clinical isolates were identical to that of standard strain of M. pachydermatis (CBS-1879). The other three clinical isolates were different from the standard strain of M. pachydermatis in RAPD patterns, and two of the three isolates were identical. About 620 bp genomic DNA fragments of the CHS2 gene were amplified from the same 16 clinical isolates of M. pachydermatis by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and sequenced. The phylogenetic analysis of the nucleotide sequences of CHS2 gene fragments of the 16 clinical isolates revealed that the 13 strains were genetically very close to the standard strain of M. pachydermatis and the other two isolates were genetically close to the standard strain of M. furfur rather than M. pachydermatis. The remaining one isolate was phylogenetically distinct from all the seven Malassezia species reported so far.     

Molecular diversity of Moraxella bovis isolated from Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay over a period of three decades

The molecular profile of 30 Moraxella bovis strains, recovered from outbreaks of infectious bovine keratoconjunctivitis in Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay between 1974 and 2001, was determined through randomly applied polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis. Molecular profiles of nine strains recovered after 1990 varied from those recovered before 1990. The profiles of 13 strains (48%) differed from those of three vaccinal strains extensively used since 1984 in Argentina and Uruguay. Eight Argentinean strains, one from Brazil and two from Uruguay had identical RAPD profiles. Strains belonging to different serogroups had identical RAPD profiles, demonstrating that this technique was not able to discriminate among strains with low cross-reactivity indices. RAPD may be helpful in the primary characterization of M. bovis strains, but it does not replace serological characterization.     

Pyrolysis mass spectrometry of Listeria monocytogenes isolates from sheep.

Forty-eight isolates of Listeria monocytogenes from sheep and silage, involved in five small outbreaks of listeriosis, were compared by pyrolysis mass spectrometry (PyMS). The method clustered isolates from single animals, and showed that epidemiologically associated isolates were closely related to each other. PyMS is a simple technique capable of analysing large numbers of samples daily, and its application in veterinary studies should help to elucidate the epidemiology of listeriosis.     

Prevalence of and resistance to anti-microbial drugs in selected microbial species isolated from bulk milk samples

The prevalence of strains of Staphylococcus aureus, coagulase-negative (CN) staphylococci, Listeria monocytogenes, Escherichia coli, Enterococcus faecalis, E. faecium and Bacillus cereus, was investigated in 111 bulk milk samples. Staphylococcus aureus was isolated from 38 samples, CN staphylococci from 63 samples, E. coli from 49 samples, E. faecalis or E. faecium from 107 samples, and L. monocytogenes from two samples. Bacillus cereus was not found in any of the samples and three samples were free of any of the selected species. Sensitivity to the anti-microbial drugs amikacin, ampicillin, ampicillin + sulbactam, cephalothin (CLT), cephotaxime, clindamycin, chloramphenicol (CMP), co-trimoxazole, erythromycin (ERY), gentamicin, neomycin, norfloxacin, oxacillin, penicillin, streptomycin (STR), tetracycline (TTC) and vancomycin was tested using the standard dilution technique. Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) characteristics (MIC50, MIC90, MIC range) were determined for each microbial species. Resistance against one or more anti-microbial drugs was found in 93% of S. aureus, 40% of CN staphylococci, 73% of E. coli, 88% of E.faecalis, 55% of E.faecium, and one L. monocytogenes strain. Most of the strains, particularly enterococci, were resistant to STR, TTC, and ERY (MIC50 4 microg/ml). A high percentage of staphylococci were resistant to beta-lactam antibiotics. High resistance to CLT was found in 11 strains of E. coli (MIC 256 microg/ml) and strains resistant to CMP (MIC90 16 microg/ml) were detected. The highest numbers of resistance phenotypes were found in E. coil (16) and CN staphylococci (12). Eighteen identical resistance phenotypes were demonstrated in indicator bacteria (E. coli, E. faecalis, E. faecium) and pathogens (S. aureus, CN staphylococci) isolated from the same bulk milk sample. The obtained resistance data were matched against the herd owners' information on therapeutic use of the drugs. This confrontation could not explain the findings of strains resistant to ERY or CMP. Our findings are evidence of selection of resistant strains among not only pathogenic agents, but also among indicator bacteria which can become significant carriers of transmissible resistance genes.